Jimmy Thelin safe at Aberdeen as new key figure brought in to offer way out of crisis
The Dons have confirmed Lutz Pfannenstiel will take up his new post to assist their under-fire manager.
Aberdeen have appointed Lutz Pfannenstiel as their first sporting director and his first job will be to back Jimmy Thelin - rather than sack him!
The club have confirmed the colourful German will start as their new sporting director on November 10th.
The Dons hope his pending appointment will help and give more support to Scottish Cup-winning manager Thelin, in an attempt to turn the club’s fortunes around on the park.
Chairman Dave Cormack and the Pittodrie board remain behind the Swede, but they are looking for a significant improvement in results, with the first aim of climbing out of the Premiership’s bottom two.
Aberdeen have won just two league games all season and the heat has been turned up again after the 6-0 Conference League thrashing to AEK Athens and the weekend defeat to Hibs.
Pfannenstiel comes in to effectively replace director of football Steven Gunn who left in September.
The German was across for a visit to Aberdeen earlier this month and was the man the Dons decided to go for after they interviewed the final three men on their short list.
Pfannenstiel had also held talks with Borussia Monchengladbach but will now return to football in Scotland, after he left US side St Louis City last month.
Pfannenstiel said: “Aberdeen FC has what many clubs around the world can only dream of - that is rich tradition, a storied history and a true football soul.
“I look forward to bringing my depth of experience in football to a Scottish city and region that lives for the game and look forward to being an active part of this great community.
“Having spent time getting to know the club over the past two years, I’m inheriting a very strong infrastructure and team of staff at both Pittodrie and Cormack Park.
“So, for me, this is about building from a strong basis with one goal in mind, which is to elevate Aberdeen at all levels and make our fans proud of the club.”
Pfannenstiel, who boasts the likes of Julian Nagelsman and Jurgen Klinsmann on his CV, is strong both in terms of the transfer market and also in coaching.
He spent five years at St Louis City, where he built up their training ground academy and their Major League Soccer NEXT Pro team.
St Louis won their first title in the first MLS conference title in 2023 but they failed to maintain those dizzy heights.
Pfannenstiel has previously been a sporting director at Fortuna Dusseldorf and was head of international relations and scouting at 1899 Hoffenheim, where he signed Roberto Firmino and Joelinton.
His extensive coaching experience spans multiple continents, including roles with national teams and professional clubs across diverse football cultures worldwide, such as Norway, Namibia, and Armenia as well as serving as a coach educator for FIFA and the German Football Association (DFB).
The former goalkeeper is no stranger to Cormack and Aberdeen and he also assisted with the recent independent football review of the club.
Cormack said: “We are pleased to welcome Lutz and his significant experience to Pittodrie.
“With extensive coaching, scouting, young player development and leadership expertise gained across different roles and cultures, we believe Lutz will be a catalyst in the club’s quest to deliver its football aspirations over the next few years.
“In particular, his technical knowledge, academy development experience and global recruitment network were key factors in the Board selecting him for this critical role, as we strive to align consistent on-field success with our player-development model.
“Lutz will oversee and be responsible for all football and performance areas of Aberdeen FC to deliver on our ambitious objectives in what, today, has become a highly competitive Scottish football league.”